


Students Out of Bed

by iam93percentstardust



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Best Friends, Gen, Marauders, Marauders Friendship, Marauders' Era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-28
Updated: 2016-04-28
Packaged: 2018-11-07 18:30:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11064702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iam93percentstardust/pseuds/iam93percentstardust
Summary: Minerva McGonagall had never expected to find the Marauders out of their beds the night before their graduation. But, as Remus points, out, it’s not likely they’re really “out of bed.”





	Students Out of Bed

Minerva McGonagall surveyed the four boys in front of her. Her face was white, her lips a thin line. She looked as furious as any of the boys had ever seen her.

“Explain,” she said sharply.

“Professor,” one of the boys started to say.

“Not you, James,” Minerva cut him off. “Remus, I thought you had more sense than this. Kindly explain why Mr. Filch found all four of you out of your dormitories, breaking school rules, I might add.”

“Well, we weren’t really breaking school rules, Professor,” Remus said with a wry grin.

“Weren’t really breaking school rules?” Minerva repeated in astonishment. “Then what do you call being down the Charms corridor at two in the morning, making such a racket?”

“Jousting, Professor,” Sirius called out. “We were only jousting.”

“Besides,” Remus added. “The school rules only say ‘no students out of bed.’ And we are quite clearly still in bed.” He grinned from atop his enchanted mattress. Laughter from the other three boys spilled forth.

Minerva admitted ruefully to herself that they had a point. Not one of them had left their beds. But she would never tell them that.

They’d been discussing it for years- enchanting their beds to fly so that they technically weren’t out of bed. And it wasn’t like they didn’t have the skill to do so. It was more that they wanted to wait until they’d almost left Hogwarts. It seemed like the perfect ending to an eventful school career.

They’d planned it carefully- thought everything through. How they’d wait until everyone in Gryffindor Tower was asleep. How they would enchant the beds ( _wingardium leviosa_ of course). How they would transfigure themselves and the beds to fit through the portrait hole.

They weren’t sure where to go from there but, as James sagely reminded them, even the best plans weren’t perfect.

The first part of the plan had gone off without a hitch. James had been a bit concerned that Lily would suspect something- after all, it was their last night at Hogwarts- but she’d gone up to bed without any comments.

To the Marauders, there was something exhilarating about wandering the corridors like this. They’d had plenty of nighttime wanderings but they’d never _flown_ across the grounds. And they didn’t have to worry about being caught. The House Cup had already been award and they graduated the next day. What was the worse that could happen?

In later years, none of them would be able to remember how they had ended up jousting in the Charms corridor. Only that it was the most fun any of them had ever had. Peter, nervous of the trouble they could get in to, didn’t joust at all but he cheered enthusiastically from the side.

The thrill of hurtling down the corridor at breathtaking speeds, trying to know the other off their bed, was greater than Quidditch, according to James.

None of them noticed when a small cat, investigating the source of the noise, appeared to watch of them unblinkingly. Nor did they notice when the same cat slunk away to alert her master. But they all noticed when Argus Filch appeared suddenly, wheezing from the run.

“I’ll have you this time,” he shouted gleefully. “You’ll be gone for good now!”

The boys didn’t bother to tell him that they were leaving the next morning anyway. It wasn’t as much fun. Instead, they floated after Filch silently, avoiding each other’s eyes to keep from laughing.

They were sure that Filch would take them to his office but he marched them straight to Professor McGonagall, bringing them to the current moment. She tried to look serious but James though he could see a smile lurking.

In fact, he was right. How could she not be proud of her favorite students thwarting the rules like this? It was brilliant. She couldn’t believe that had found a loophole like this.

“Be that as it may,” she said over their laughter, trying and failing to found severe. “No students are to leave their beds. I’m sure that at least one of you was knocked off during your jousting.”

“Nah,” Sirius replied. “James has terrible aim and Remus is too afraid to hurt anyone.” James and Remus glared at him.

McGonagall could keep up the charade no longer. “Then I see no reason to punish any of you. Nicely done, gentlemen,” she added, a rare smile on her face.

They agreed that night to never tell anyone about their escapade. Indeed, no one would ever hear about the last prank of the Marauders. But, as James reflected, it seemed rather fitting that it was kept private.


End file.
